Books are now commonly provided in various electronic text formats for reading on portable electronic devices with a display. For example, most books now being published are provided as e-books, either exclusively or in parallel with traditional hardcopy printed versions, for reading via an assortment of various e-Reader devices. Various types of e-Reader devices are available, including portable standalone e-Reader devices or e-Reader software applications that may be loaded on consumer portable electronic devices or desktop computers.
To enhance the reading experience, various systems have been proposed in which audio soundtracks may be played while the user reads an e-book. Some of the systems propose soundtracks that are customised according to the content of the e-book. Some of the systems synchronise the playback of the soundtrack with the user's reading speed by calculating the reading speed at each page turn and then reproducing the remaining soundtrack for playback at each page turn with a modified duration that is based on the calculated reading speed. Other systems provide a soundtrack for each page of the e-book and then modify the duration of the soundtracks based on the user's calculated reading speed.
The above such systems suffer various drawbacks, including deficiencies in the accuracy of the synchronization, playback processing inefficiencies, and lack of flexibility in adapting to various user interactions with the e-book, such as the altering of font size display settings.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and system for making and playing soundtracks that are configured for synchronized playback with the reading of a corresponding electronic text, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.